“The Book of James
4:11-12
Pastor Mike Barnett
11Brothers, do not
slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks
against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,
but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one
who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
James 4:11-12
John
10The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full.
John
8:42-44 says:
42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father,
you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my
own; but he sent me. 43Why is my language not clear to
you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44You
belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's
desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for
there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he
is a liar and the father of lies.
Psalm 50:19-20 says:
19
You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20
You speak continually against your brother
and slander your own mother's son. Psalm 50:19-20
Proverbs
28 A perverse man stirs
up dissension,
and a gossip separates close friends.
Proverbs 17:9 says:
9 He who covers over an
offense promotes love,
but whoever repeats the matter separates
close friends. Prov. 17:9
Proverbs 26:20 says:
20 Without wood a fire
goes out;
without gossip a quarrel dies down. Prov.
26:20
Prov
18
He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
Prov 10:18
Proverbs
19 A gossip betrays a
confidence;
so avoid a man who talks too much. Prov.
20:19
·
GOD HATES
SLANDER BECAUSE IT IS _______________(SIN)!
Psalm 101:5 says:
5
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes and a proud
heart,
him will I not endure. Psalm 101:5
·
THE REASON
WHY OUR WORDS ARE SO DANGEROUS AND TAKEN SO SEROUSLY BY GOD IS: THEY
__________________________(REVEAL) WHAT IS IN OUR HEART, MIND AND SOUL!
JESUS SAID: “OUT OF THE ____________________(OVERFLOW)
OF THE ____________________(MOUTH) THE ____________________(HEART) SPEAKS”.
Jesus said in Luke
6:43-47:
43"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad
tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its
own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in
his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his
heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
NOTE: GOD HATES LYING,
QUARRELING, GOSSIP AND SLANDERING AMONG CHRISTIANS BECAUSE IT IS THE OPPOSITE
OF GOD’S ___________________ ____________________(HOLY ORDER!)
The Apostle Paul said in 2
Cor. 12:20:
20For I am afraid that
when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as
you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of
anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 2 Cor. 12:20
8But now you must rid
yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and
filthy language from your lips.
1 Peter 2:1 says:
1Therefore, rid
yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every
kind. 1 Peter 2:1
·
“BROTHERS, DO
NOT SPEAK AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. ANYONE
WHO SPEAKS AGAINST HIS BROTHER OR JUDGES HIM SPEAKS AGAINST THE LAW AND JUDGES
IT. WHEN YOU JUDGE THE LAW, YOU ARE NOT
KEEPING IT, BUT SITTING IN JUDGMENT ON IT. THERE IS ONLY ONE LAWGIVER AND
JUDGE, THE ONE WHO IS ABLE TO SAVE AND DESTROY. BUT YOU – WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE
YOUR NEIGHBOR?” (James 4:11-12)
·
The threefold
repetition brethren…brother…brother reminds us of the family relationship we
share with other Christians.
·
Slander is
the _______________________(antithesis) of what is ________________________(expected)
and acceptable in a family, whose members are to love, support, and protect
each other.
·
Slander and
judgementalism are the opposite of biblical, Christ centered love.
·
JESUS SAID
LOVE SUMS OF THE LAW.
“So in everything, do to
others what you would have them do to you, for these sums up the Law and the
Prophets”. Matthew 7:12
Matthew 22:37-40
·
SLANDER AND
JUDGMENTALISM ARE SIN BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ______________________(ACTIONS) THAT
EXPRESS GOD’S____________________(LOVE) AND THEREBY BREAK GOD’S HOLY LAW.
1 Cor. 13:4-8 says:
While Christians are to __________________(expect)
slander from the ______________________(outside) of the church from the world,
slander ___________________(within) the church from the body of Christ is ____________________________(unacceptable)!
·
THE CHRISTIAN
IS CALLED TO TAKE THE _______________________ ________________________(HIGH
ROAD) WHEN SLANDERED, BY SPEAKING A _________________________(BLESSING) BACK TO
THEIR ACCUSER!
1 Peter 3:8-12 says:
8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one
another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with
blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."[a]
NOTE: THOSE WHO SLANDER
AND GOSSIP, WILL BE SLANDERED AND GOSSIPED ABOUT BECAUSE YOU WILL ALWAYS _____________________(REAP)
_________________(MORE) OF WHAT YOU ____________________(SOW)!
Galatians
15If you keep on biting
and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:15
·
Closely
associated with the sin of slander is that of being ___________________________(judgmental).
·
A judgemental
and slanderous spirit is the result of a ________________
___________________(proud heart) that thinks he/she is wiser and better than
other believers.
·
Slander and
judgementalism is the fruit of the________________________(pride) “root”.
·
Many of the
______________________(commands) of Jesus are an assault on our
_____________________(pride).
Matthew 7:1-5 says:
1"Do not
judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you
will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3"Why do you
look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the
plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck
out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You
hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly
to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Matthew 7:1-5
NOTE: If fellow believers
are viewed as those chosen by God before the foundation of the world, for who
Christ died, who are loved and honored by God, and with whom we will spend
eternity in heaven, we will seek to honor, love and protect them…….. The first
step in avoiding the sin of slander is not keeping ones lips sealed, but
keeping one’s thoughts about others right.
“BUT IF YOU JUDGE THE
LAW, YOU ARE NOT A DOER OF THE LAW BUT A JUDGE OF IT”.
·
God hates
judgementalism because when you judge another brother or sister in Christ – you
are doing God’s job and usurping His authority.
·
God alone is
to judge!
·
If you place
yourself above God’s law by ____________________________(judging) and ____________________________(slandering)
other Christians, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it and the _________________________(Wrath)
of God is your punishment.
James
12There is only one
Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are
you to judge your neighbor? James 4:12
NOTE: By placing himself
above the law, the slanderer also attempts to place himself above the only true
lawgiver and judge – God himself…..Such behavior places the sinner on par with
Satan, who sought unsuccessfully to usurp God’s throne.
·
WHEN YOU
JUDGE AND SLANDER OTHER BELIEVERS YOU ARE _________________________(ALIGNING)
YOURSELF WITH THE ________________(DEVIL) AND
______________________(SEPARATING) YOURSELF FROM _______________(GOD)!
·
The desire to
usurp God’s authority has been the essence of _____________(every) sin ever
committed.
·
Sin seeks to __________________(dethrone)
God, to remove Him as supreme Lawgiver and judge and rule in his place.
·
Every sin is
ultimately _____________________(against) God because every sin in effect,
belittles and condemns His law, and ____________________(usurps) God’s
authority.
Psalm 51:4 says:
4 Against you, you only,
have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge. Psalm 51:4
·
God alone is
both the ___________________(lawgiver) and _______________________(judge).
Isaiah 33:22 says:
22 For the LORD is
our judge,
the LORD is our lawgiver,
the LORD is our king;
it is he who will save us. Isaiah 33:22
Deut 32:39 says:
39 "See now
that I myself am He!
There is no God besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand. Deut
32:39
BUT WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE
OTHER PEOPLE WHEN IT IS GOD’S JOB?
WOW/OUCH - We have the capacity to speak inappropriate
and even slanderous words about each other within the church, even though we
know that James says that such behavior brings _________________________________(condemnation)
on our own ____________________(heads).
Rom. 14:4 says:
4Who are you to judge
someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will
stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. Rom. 14:4
·
According to
James, when we judge others, we not only arrogate to ourselves what belongs to
God alone, we also invite and pronounce judgment on ourselves.
·
None of us is
without fault, and we are _________________________(deserving) of the same _________________________(judgment)
we so “self – righteously” place on others.
Romans 4:1-4 says:
1You,
therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at
whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you
who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now we know that
God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the
same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or
do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience,
not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?